Blessed Samhain

I suppose this is a fitting time to write this post, as the last two months have been long ones for both me and my wife. My Father-in-Law passed away on August 25th after suffering several strokes and vascular dementia. It was really difficult for my wife, for a lot of reasons, and it was hard watching her father decline in those last months. We got through it, and through the aftermath, and this last month has mostly been recovery.

I say it’s a fitting time to write this post because October 31st, along with being Halloween, is also the pagan/Wiccan holiday of Samhain, where we honor our ancestors. For us, it’ll be a difficult one. But to be honest, Samhain has been difficult since 2020. So many dead. So many confused and angry Spirits.

And this year, the Spirits are LOUD. Even here in Switzerland where it’s generally psychically quiet. I’m not sure exactly what’s going on yet, but maybe when we do our ritual on Monday, I’ll find out more. There’s so many things making the world a hostile place, a part of me feels that Spirits being this active is not really a surprise.

I’ve been coping a lot by getting into gaming, specific Elder Scrolls Online (as you can tell by the previous fanfic) and writing more novels. Another thing that's keeping me occupied has been preparing for NaNoWriMo.  The biggest thing was creating a Discord Server called “Publishing Heretics” for those who are self-publishing on principle and/or by choice. I also moved a couple of websites off our personal web server. You know, keeping busy.

Of course, the other day I updated my Mac to Ventura and borked my ESO launcher. *sigh* But my Super Awesome Bestest Wife is building me a gaming PC. I’m stoked for that!

So, life moves forward. I try not to dwell in the land of Spirits, which is hard to do this time of year (although, not that easy during the rest of the year, either, since my vocation is to work with those who are dying or grieving). I drink coffee, cook, game, and write. One day at a time.

For those who celebrate Samhain, I wish you a Blessed day with your Ancestors. For those that don’t, Happy Halloween!

I’ll be back after NaNoWriMo.